SINGAPORE: Two Singaporean families, comprising 14 Singaporeans and a family member, were safely evacuated from Khartoum in Sudan, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Thursday (Apr 27).
The families were evacuated to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, together with a group of Malaysians and other nationals, with help from the Malaysian, Saudi Arabian and the United Arab Emirates governments.
"Since the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan, MFA has been rendering consular assistance to the Singaporeans in Sudan and exploring options to evacuate them," the ministry said in a statement.
The Singapore embassies in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, as well as the Singapore Consulate-General in Jeddah worked closely with their host governments and their counterparts from the Malaysian embassy to facilitate the families' departure from Khartoum to Jeddah.
"The Singapore government would like to express its deepest appreciation and gratitude to the governments of Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for facilitating the safe return of our citizens," said MFA.
Fighting broke out in the country on Apr 15 between Sudan's army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The fighting has continued despite the US-brokered three-day ceasefire that started on Tuesday.
According to health ministry figures, at least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting although the real death toll is likely much higher.
Countries globally have rushed to extract foreign diplomats and citizens from the country.